The present invention relates to a form retaining stuffed figurine. It relates particularly to a stuffed figurine with form retaining characteristics that allow it to be secured to an object such as a person's arm.
In the art, there are various types of figurines that have a form retaining shape, for allowing them to be secured to an object. Two known types of form retaining figurines are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,928,933 and 3,448,539. In those patents, a mechanical spring biases the limbs of the figurine to a gripping configruation. The limbs are urged against the spring bias either by manipulating a clip secured to the body of the figurine (U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,933) or by manipulating the springs themselves (U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,539). The limbs are urged against the spring bias in order to (i) disengage the limbs from an article, or (ii) separate the limbs to allow them to grip an article.
Other types of form retaining figurines are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,046. That patent discusses specific drawbacks of form retaining figurines that utilize mechanical springs and clips, and discloses several ways of constructing a form retaining figurine without mechanical springs and clips. In all of the disclosed figurines, the body of the figurine is formed by a body of resiliently deformable material such as a polyurethane foam, and the patent discusses several ways of maintaining the resliently deformable material in a predetermined shape. According to the patent, the simplest way is to either (i) cut the shape from a block of foam or (ii) mold the foam into the shape. The inherent resiliency of the foam is used to maintain the body in the predetermined shape. Another way is to form the foam into a blank (e.g., an H-shaped blank) and either (i) wind the blank onto a heated cylinder, (ii) secure to a surface of the blank a similar shaped stretched rubber strip and allow the rubber strip to curl the blank into a gripping shape, or (iii) stick to the surface of the blank a thermo retractable sheet and heating the sheet to cause it to curl the blank into a gripping shape.
Still another type of form retaining figurines is shown in Canadian Pat. No. 657,031. The figurine essentially comprises an inflatable material that is inflated to its form retaining shape and is maintained in that shape by the inflating medium.